Time to Restore data - 2025

Author

Erin Zylstra

Published

April 11, 2025

Identifying priority species

Used list of priority species based on: TimeToRestore_AllPrioritySpecies_2024 google sheet (extracted on 2 April 2025) and made the following changes:

  • Corrected the spelling of one genus (Vernonia) and one species (cespitosa)

  • Updated scientific and common names based on ITIS for mistflower (Conoclinium), basket-flower (Centaurea), and Lantana; will use the common name listed in ITIS/NPN data base for these species imoving forward.

  • Using the common name listed in NPN database for Sambucus nigra and Passiflora incarnata, which were each listed twice in the googlesheet under two different common names.

This left us with 53 priority species.

Downloading status-intensity data

Used rnpn package to download status and intensity data for priority species in Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas from 1 October 2023 through the present day. Downloaded observations of 4 phenophases: flowers or flower buds (flower), open flowers, fruits, and ripe fruits. Since leaves on milkweed plants may be important for monarch eggs and catepillars, we also downloaded observations of the leaves phenophase for the 53 species of milkweed on the priority list. After downloading the data, we appended information about intensity categories, and calculated approximate midpoint values for each intensity category in the status-intensity dataset.

For the purposes of this report, we’ll focus on observations submitted in the current water year, from 1 October 2024 - 29 March 2025. At times, we will compare current water-year data with data collected during the previous water year (October 2023 - September 2024), while noting that we are only partially through the current water year.

Identifying inconsistent phenophase status reports

We wanted to identify when observers provided incompatible status reports for different phenophases. In particular, we identified when observers reported a “no” to flowers but reported a “yes” or “?” to open flowers. Similarly, we identified when observers reported a “no” to fruits but reported a “yes” or “?” to ripe fruits. We also identified when observers reported a “?” to flowers but reported a “yes” to open flowers, and when observers reported a “?” to fruits but reported a “yes” to ripe fruits.

Inconsistent reports of flowering phenophase statuses by species and water year
Species Water year No. observations Flowers:no AND Open flowers:yes/? Flowers:? AND Open flowers:yes
American beautyberry 2024 585 0 28
American beautyberry 2025 386 2 0
common buttonbush 2024 300 2 0
common buttonbush 2025 163 1 0
common sunflower 2024 156 1 0
eastern baccharis 2025 64 1 0
eastern purple coneflower 2024 34 1 0
eastern redbud 2024 462 4 2
horsetail milkweed 2024 147 1 0
purple prairie clover 2024 250 0 17
red maple 2024 497 1 0
red maple 2025 291 2 0
rubber rabbitbrush 2024 178 3 0
wax mallow 2025 27 1 0
Inconsistent reports of fruiting phenophase statuses
Species Water year No. observations Fruit:no AND Ripe fruit:yes/? Fruit:? AND Ripe fruit:yes
American star-thistle 2025 7 1 0
blackeyed Susan 2024 1 1 0
blackeyed Susan 2025 7 1 0
common buttonbush 2024 300 1 0
common sunflower 2024 156 4 0
common sunflower 2025 53 1 0
eastern baccharis 2024 114 1 0
eastern redbud 2024 462 1 0
eastern redbud 2025 206 2 0
horsetail milkweed 2024 147 1 0
horsetail milkweed 2025 40 1 0
purple passionflower 2025 12 1 0
rubber rabbitbrush 2025 59 1 0
white crownbeard 2025 75 1 0

Summary of sites monitored

Locations of sites where priority species were monitored between October 2024 and present.

Locations of sites in Louisiana where priority species were monitored between October 2024 and present.

Locations of sites in New Mexico where priority species were monitored between October 2024 and present.

Locations of sites in Oklahoma where priority species were monitored between October 2024 and present.

Locations of sites in Texas where priority species were monitored between October 2024 and present.

Summary of sites monitored in each state from October 2024 to present. Here, an observation is all data collected for a plant on a given date.
State No. sites No. species No. plants No. observations Mean no. species per site Mean no. plants per site Mean no. of observations per site
LA 12 10 55 621 2.50 4.58 51.75
NM 5 6 14 183 2.00 2.80 36.60
OK 2 2 6 116 1.00 3.00 58.00
TX 63 29 159 858 2.24 2.52 13.62

Summary of species monitored

Summary of plants monitored from October 2024 to present. Here, an observation is all data collected for a plant on a given date.
Species Functional group No. plants: LA No. plants: NM No. plants: OK No. plants: TX Total no. plants No. sites Mean no. observations
American beautyberry Deciduous broadleaf 8 0 0 33 41 27 9.1
red maple Deciduous broadleaf 22 0 0 2 24 9 11.9
eastern redbud Deciduous broadleaf 2 1 1 18 22 20 9.0
common buttonbush Deciduous broadleaf 10 0 0 7 17 13 8.0
wax mallow Deciduous broadleaf 0 0 0 9 9 8 3.0
eastern baccharis Deciduous broadleaf 6 0 0 0 6 4 10.7
West Indian shrubverbena Deciduous broadleaf 0 0 0 4 4 4 1.8
black elderberry Deciduous broadleaf 1 0 0 0 1 1 1.0
trumpet honeysuckle Deciduous broadleaf 0 0 0 1 1 1 34.0
rubber rabbitbrush Drought deciduous broadleaf 0 4 0 0 4 2 14.8
Texas lupine Forb 0 0 0 14 14 13 4.4
white crownbeard Forb 2 0 0 8 10 9 7.5
blue mistflower Forb 0 0 0 8 8 8 2.1
mealycup sage Forb 0 0 0 7 7 6 2.4
wild bergamot Forb 1 0 0 5 6 6 4.0
common sunflower Forb 0 2 0 3 5 5 10.6
firewheel Forb 0 0 0 5 5 5 5.2
purple prairie clover Forb 0 0 5 0 5 1 23.0
purple passionflower Forb 1 0 0 3 4 4 3.0
American star-thistle Forb 0 0 0 3 3 3 2.0
blackeyed Susan Forb 0 0 0 3 3 3 2.3
green antelopehorn Forb 0 0 0 3 3 3 5.0
horsetail milkweed Forb 0 3 0 0 3 2 13.3
spider milkweed Forb 0 0 0 3 3 2 2.7
Canada goldenrod Forb 0 0 0 2 2 2 1.5
aquatic milkweed Forb 0 0 0 2 2 2 6.5
broadleaf milkweed Forb 0 2 0 0 2 1 10.0
button eryngo Forb 2 0 0 0 2 1 8.0
eastern purple coneflower Forb 0 0 0 2 2 2 2.0
lemon beebalm Forb 0 0 0 2 2 2 1.0
palmleaf thoroughwort Forb 0 0 0 2 2 2 3.0
showy milkweed Forb 0 2 0 0 2 2 15.0
golden crownbeard Forb 0 0 0 1 1 1 1.0
upright prairie coneflower Forb 0 0 0 1 1 1 1.0
turkey tangle fogfruit Semi-evergreen forb 0 0 0 6 6 6 2.2
seaside goldenrod Semi-evergreen forb 0 0 0 1 1 1 6.0
straggler daisy Semi-evergreen forb 0 0 0 1 1 1 1.0

Summary of observers

Summary of people who submitted data for priority species since October 2024, by state. Values in table are means, with range of values in parentheses.
State No. observers No. species per observer No. plants per observer No. plants per species
LA 16 3.44 (1 - 6) 8.12 (1 - 21) 2.43 (1 - 7)
NM 18 1.89 (1 - 5) 2.44 (1 - 8) 1.14 (1 - 1.6)
OK 7 1 (1 - 1) 4.43 (1 - 5) 4.43 (1 - 5)
TX 59 2.37 (1 - 16) 3.22 (1 - 20) 1.62 (1 - 5)


Number of species each observer monitored since October 2024.


Number of plants per species that observers monitored since October 2024

Observation frequency: Reporting a “no” prior to the first “yes”

To evaluate observation frequency, we downloaded individual phenometrics data for priority species from 1 October 2023 through the present day.

For these summaries, we will evaluate observation frequency by classifying flowering and fruiting observations based on the time elapsed between a “no” observation and the first “yes” observation of a given phenophase. Here, we’ll compare first yeses that were submitted between 1 November 2024 and the present (~2025 water year) with first yeses that were submitted between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024 (~2024 water year).


Proportion of first “yes” observations that were associated with a prior “no” with a given number of days, grouped by phenophase. 2024 = November 2023 - September 2024. 2025 = November 2024 - present.


Proportion of first “yes” observations that were associated with a prior “no” with a given number of days, grouped by species. We excluded species with fewer than 10 “yes” observations in both water years. 2024 = November 2023 - September 2024. 2025 = November 2024 - present.